Technology@Wooster

In cooperation with the Departments of Physics and Math and Computer Science, the Office of Instructional Technology has designated Taylor 210 an instructional technology demo room. The demo room will provide faculty members and instructional technologists the opportunity to experiment with and to evaluate classroom technologies in a classroom setting. The technologies installed in the demo room will change on a regular basis. The experimentation and evaluation that takes place in the demo room will be used to determine which technologies should be deployed in classrooms across the campus.

The Office of Instructional Technology will be soliciting faculty input as to which technologies should be installed in the demo room. Each installation will be announced here in the blog. Questions? Contact Janet Russell, Director of Instructional Technology.

Stay tuned for further developments!

IT previously announced that the DVD/VCR Combo units in Kauke would be replaced. The new units will be able to play DVD regions one through six and video cassettes in PAL, NTSC and SECAM formats. Ten units, those in the following locations, have now been replaced:

The remaining units will be replaced this summer.

This replacement does not impact the way in which users interact with or control the devices.

IT, Communications, Theatre, Purchasing, and Physical Plant have been collaborating on the development of a renovation plan for Wishart 102. One of the chief goals of the renovation of this classroom is the establishment of new standards for technologically-enhanced classrooms on the Wooster campus. The new design will reflect important lessons learned during the renovation of the learning spaces in Kauke Hall. The implementation of the new design in Wishart 102 will afford faculty and instructional technologists the opportunity to evaluate it fully, and their experience in Wishart 102 will inform the future development of technologically-enhanced classrooms on campus. The renovation of Wishart 102 is therefore seen as the development of a prototype.

The room will include a ceiling-mounted projector, motorized screen, dvd/vcr combo unit, speakers, amplifer, document camera, and, of course, a computer. The combo unit, amplifer, document camera and computer will be housed within a custom-designed podium located at the front of the room. The technology will be controlled using a Pixie Pro unit mounted on the podium. The renovation, however, goes beyond equipping the room with new classroom technology. The classroom furniture will also be replaced–with an eye toward flexibility in accomodating various teaching and learning styles. The goal has been to think holistically about the classroom space and the overall impact on learning.

Work will get underway soon after the end of the current academic year and will be complete by June 30. IT is excited to be working on a project of this nature, and is very pleased to be partnering with Communications, Theatre, Purchasing and Physical Plant. Developments will be published on the blog.

After conversations with the vendor, IT is pleased to announce that the DVD/VHS combo units in all Kauke classrooms will be replaced. We expect to replace 10 of these units over spring break and the remaining units this summer. The new units will be able to play DVD regions one through six, and video cassettes in PAL, NTSC and SECAM formats. While the original intention was to support these regions and standards, the current units cannot accommodate this wide range. This replacement will not impact the way in which users interact with or control these devices. One of the new units has already been installed and tested in Kauke 038 with positive results.

The Teaching Matters session this week will be conducted by the folks in Instructional Technology and will feature the new SMARTBoard, an interactive whiteboard, which the Education Department and the Department of Instructional Technology recently acquired. The session will be the usual brown bag affair from noon until 1:00 and will be held in Morgan 208 on Friday, November 3. The room is rather small so be prepared to be cozy! The session will demonstrate several functions of the SMARTBoard such as projection, notebook capture, lecture/process capture, and video markup. In addition, benefits to students such as engagement, motivation, and retention will considered.